Meeting the Needs of Young Hispanic Autistic Children
Meeting the Needs of Young Hispanic Autistic Children: Developing a Culturally and Linguistically Sensitive Intervention to Alleviate Core Social Challenges
Who can join
18 Months – 42 Months · All sexes
Full eligibility criteria
Inclusion Criteria: * Children must be from a Hispanic family experiencing low income, defined as having an income-to-needs ratio of \< 320% of the federal poverty level, determined by their household size * Children must be between 18-42 months old at the start of the study * Children must have no other known neurological or genetic concerns or disorders determined by parent report * Children must receive a Calibrated Severity Score (CSS) of 4 or higher on the Autism Diagnostic Observational Schedule-2 (ADOS-2) administered by a qualified bilingual assessment associate * Families must have a primary home language of English and/or Spanish Exclusion Criteria: * Children who are from a family that is not Hispanic and/or does not have an income-to-needs ratio of \< 320% of the federal poverty level, determined by their household size * Children younger than 18 months or older than 42 months at the start of the study * Children whose parents report they have any other known neurological or genetic concerns or disorders * Children who receive a Calibrated Severity Score (CSS) lower than 4 on the ADOS-2 * Families who do not have English or Spanish as a primary home language
About the study
Purpose of the Study: The goal of this clinical trial is to find out if a technique called the "mutual gaze procedure" used in a Culturally and Linguistically Responsive adaptation of Pathways Early Intervention (CLR-Pathways) is the key to improving social communication, language, and everyday skills in young (18-42 months) Hispanic autistic children experiencing low income.
What Will Happen: Researchers will compare two versions of CLR-Pathways.
* Version 1: Includes mutual gaze strategies. * Version 2: Does not include mutual gaze strategies.
What to Expect: Participants will:
* Attend 16 sessions (or 18 weeks if there are cancellations) of Pathways Intervention, each lasting 1.5 hours. * Come to the clinic for a developmental check-up three times: before starting Pathways, right after completing Pathways, and three months after finishing Pathways.
What is being tested
- Culturally and Linguistically Responsive Pathways Parent-Mediated Intervention without Mutual Gaze (behavioral)
- Culturally and Linguistically Responsive Pathways Parent-Mediated Intervention (behavioral)
Sponsor: The University of Texas at Dallas · Participants: 200 · Started: Sep 22, 2025
Contact the study team
- Pamela Rollins, EdD · Phone: 972-883-3153
Official record on ClinicalTrials.gov — NCT06733584
Locations in the U.S.
| Texas | Catholic Charities of Dallas, Dallas University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson |
Conditions
From ClinicalTrials.gov, data retrieved Sep 30, 2026. Each study sets its own eligibility; the study team decides who can join.